Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 372 382 Ascension to the Throne and Change of Era Name, Peace and Prosperity for the Nation

"Shuyi, what's wrong?"

In the temporary camp, Li Cunxiao, dressed in a solemn imperial robe, stepped forward and held his wife's hands in his palms.

The latter, also dressed in elegant attire, looked at her husband, who was exuding a heroic and vigorous air, and was momentarily dazed.

"Just half a month ago, I was still teaching children in Wenzhou and Fuzhou, and now Sanlang is telling me that I will be the empress of the world. This is truly..."

It truly feels like being in a dream.

Li Cunxiao went to the front lines, naturally without bringing any female relatives, lest they be exploited for his weakness.

Ye Shuyi stayed in Jiannan Road, and with Qi looking after her, there would be no mishap.

When her husband went to the front lines, his wife was naturally worried, but some things, once you're in that position, are unavoidable and unavoidable, and all she could do was pray silently.

In the first month after Li Cunxiao left, he killed Ge Congzhou and recaptured Songzhou. The letter mentioned their reunion, and she smiled knowingly.
In the second month after Li Cunxiao left, he launched an eastern expedition to the coastal prefectures and won one battle after another. Zhu Quanzhong fled without a trace, and she was filled with anxiety.

Three months after Li Cunxiao left, the Chenqiao Mutiny occurred, and the three Grandmasters Zhu Quanzhong, Li Yisheng, and Yelü Yi were successively defeated and killed. A letter from home arrived in Jiannan, informing her to go to Mount Tai to participate in the enthronement and investiture.

Ye Shuyi was so overwhelmed by the rapidly developing situation that she could no longer feel any joy, but remained in shock and confusion.

Is Saburo going to be the emperor?
Am I going to be the empress?

Am I going mad?
"Haha," Li Cunxiao found his wife rather adorable for some reason. A thought struck him, and he secretly thought that now that the world was newly settled, it was time to have a child.

At this moment, Li Guangyi's voice came from outside, and the couple walked out of the camp surrounded by palace maids and servants.

Today, as we offer sacrifices to Heaven and ascend the throne, the officials are not wearing official robes suitable for official business, but rather court robes used for sacrificial rites.

She wore a scarlet silk robe and skirt, lined with a white floral silk undershirt, tied with a wide belt, and then a scarlet silk knee-covering with a leather belt. She also wore a square-necked collar, white silk stockings, and black leather shoes.

Civil officials wore the Jinxian crown, while military generals wore the Diaochan crown, with a white pen pinned to the back of the crown and a tablet in their hands.

As the current emperor's younger brother, Li Guangyi's close relationship with the emperor was well-known, so he was naturally chosen as the head of the court officials.

Those such as Li Xian, the clan leader of the Li clan of Longxi, Ye Jingneng, the father-in-law of Li Cunxiao and the Duke of Yue, and Changsun Fu, the Duke of Zhao and the most prominent noble in the capital, were ranked second.

Li Si'en and Li Si'ben are also among them. Interestingly, Shi Jingsi, who was originally ranked lower among the Thirteen Protectors, is now ranked ahead of the two.

This preferential treatment was, of course, due to a good relationship from the past. When Shi Jingsi saw Li Cunxiao, he couldn't help but recall their first meeting at Louguandao.

Who could have imagined that the old friend from years ago would now rise to become the supreme ruler of the world, and even easily slay the three heroes of the North?

It can be said that unifying the South is now only a matter of time.

The once renowned Li Siyuan and Li Cunxu have now turned to dust, and all their efforts have come to naught.

Even Li Si'en and Li Si'ben, recalling the scene of 300,000 Liao troops collapsing without a fight in that one day, felt both terrified and fortunate.

The fact that they were able to participate in the founding of the new dynasty shows that they had passed Li Cunxiao's test.

"Your Majesty, the auspicious time has arrived; it is time to depart."

Li Xian, as the Minister of Rites, was the planner and actual commander of this ceremony.

When news of Li Yisheng's death and Li Cunxiao's heroic act of killing the Liao emperor and the Liang emperor reached the capital, the powerful and wealthy went wild that night.

Upon hearing the news, Li Xian rushed into the newly built ancestral hall, bowed three times and kowtowed nine times to his ancestors, and danced with joy. He was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night.

Li Cunxiao's name is written in the genealogy of the Li clan of Longxi!

Our Longxi Li family is about to become the first family with a thousand-year history!

Overwhelmed with excitement, Li Xian rushed to the Duke of Yue's mansion early the next morning to "ask for instructions" from Ye Jingneng. He then quickly summoned officials and craftsmen, and, carrying imperial ceremonial equipment from the palace, hurried to Mount Tai.

"The laws and regulations of past dynasties are vast and numerous. The fact that Minister Li was able to handle all these matters so well in such a short time shows that he is a meritorious veteran and a true treasure of the nation."

The most important matters of state are sacrifice and war. If the ritual of offering sacrifices to Heaven is wrong when ascending the throne, one will be laughed at by the people of the world.

After killing Yelü Yi, he was busy consolidating the nation's fortune and strengthening his power. These tedious tasks were naturally left to his subordinates.

As the Minister of Rites and the patriarch of the Longxi Li clan, which had existed for six hundred years, Li Xian was indeed well-versed in the laws and regulations of past dynasties.

The imperial robes he wore were designed and finalized by him.

The imperial robe and crown (衮冕) were worn for sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, ancestral temples, receiving investiture and honorary titles, receiving court audiences on New Year's Day, and for the investiture of the crown prince.

The crown had twelve white pearl tassels, with a ribbon of silk as its tassel, the same color as the ribbon, yellow silk floss for the ears, and a jade hairpin for the ear.
She wore a white gauze undergarment with an axe-shaped embroidery on the collar, and blue sleeve, hem, and skirt edges.

He wore a black outer robe and a red outer robe, embroidered with the twelve symbols.

The eight symbols on the garment are: sun, moon, stars, mountain, dragon, pheasant, fire, and ancestral vessel.
The four chapters on the skirt are: waterweed, rice flour, axe, and axe pattern;

Below the mountains and dragons, each chapter has one line, with a single pattern repeated in twelve rows. The cuffs and collars of the clothes are embroidered with ascending dragons.

The belt is made of leather with a jade hook, and a wide belt is worn on the outside. The belt is plain with a red lining, and the outside of the wide belt is decorated with alternating black and blue borders. The upper part is vermilion and the lower part is green. It is tied with a silk ribbon. The apron is decorated with three symbols: dragon, mountain and fire.

He wore a jade-hilted sword with a large pearl adorning the pommel, and was adorned with two white jade pendants strung together with a black ribbon.

Two large six-colored sashes and two smaller six-colored sashes, interspersed with three jade rings. Crimson stockings and red shoes with upturned toes, adorned with gold ornaments.

Once the entire outfit is put on, it is wide and dignified, and due to its structure, movement is deliberately restricted, requiring one to be steady and solemn in demeanor. This is why "formal attire" is inconvenient.

Empress Yi Yi's robes were also extremely elaborate:
The phoenix crown is decorated with twelve flowers, the number of small flowers being equal to the number of large flowers, with sideburns on both sides, and the crown is adorned with nine dragons and four phoenixes.

She wore a light blue gauze inner garment, with a knee-covering that matched the color of her skirt; her outer garment was a dark blue woven robe with red pheasant patterns, in five colors and twelve grades.

The belt matches the color of the garment, with a vermilion lining and trimmed edges. The top is made of vermilion brocade, and the bottom is made of green brocade. The ties are made of blue silk threads.

The leather belt was wrapped in blue satin, with two white jade pendants, a black band, two large sashes, three small sashes, and three jade rings in between.

Blue socks and blue shoes, the shoes adorned with gold.

Seeing her daughter dressed like this, Ye Jing felt not only gratified, but also, more importantly, thought of the same place as Li Cunxiao:
Their emperor son-in-law is very young; he might take hundreds of concubines in the future. If they don't hurry up and produce a prince, they fear they won't be able to control the harem.
The people in the procession had different thoughts, but after Li Cunxiao and his wife boarded the imperial carriage, the grand procession opened the Qianfeng City Gate, and the cheers of the onlookers drowned out everything.

The people of Yanzhou were not actually familiar with Li Cunxiao. Ever since Zhu Quanzhong was enfeoffed as the Prince of Liang, Henan Road had always been his private territory.

However, his rule was brutal and he only knew how to levy exorbitant taxes. After Li Cunxiao rectified the chaos, he simply announced the exemption of taxes for this year. The people, who were used to suffering, were already grateful and welcomed him with open arms.

The original Dragon Armor Army has now been reorganized into four armies: the Sun-Holding Army, the Heavenly Martial Army, the Dragon Guard Army, and the Divine Guard Army. Li Guangyi specially selected those who were tall and handsome to guard the emperor's side.

The common people, seeing the array of halberds like a forest, couldn't help but marvel at their heroic bearing, yet they were not like ordinary soldiers, who were fierce and menacing. When the emperor went out, the order of his carriages, the armor and shields of his guards, and the flags and banners were all recorded in a register, which was called the imperial procession.

The emperor's ceremonial procession was divided into the Grand Carriage, the Imperial Carriage, the Lesser Carriage, and the Yellow Banner Retinue. The Grand Carriage was the highest in rank, requiring the escort of high-ranking officials and the charioteer of a Grand General, and was only prepared for sacrifices to Heaven.

The entire grand procession can be divided into three layers. The "outer layer" has two layers, the outermost of which consists of soldiers, forming the security system for the entire procession.

The innermost layer consists of the Twenty-Eight Constellation Flags, the Four Rivers Flags, the Five Sacred Mountains Flags, the Azure Dragon Flag, the White Tiger Flag, the Gate Flag, the Crimson Banner, the Faith Banner, the Missionary Banner, the Ceasefire Banner, the Feathered Canopy, the Halberd Cloak, the Spear Cloak, the Jade Cloak, the Ban Sword, the Golden Tooth Staff, the Standing Melon, the Lying Melon, the Stirrup Staff, etc.

The emperor's entourage was escorted by an outer guard in the center, hence the name "Zhongdao" (middle way).

The ceremonial procession, from front to back, consists of six elephants, six guides, the Golden Guard banner, the inspector of the dragon flags, the procession, the Vermilion Bird procession, twelve dragon flags, the compass chariot, the mileage drum chariot, the egret flag chariot, the phoenix flag chariot, the virtuous carriage, the leather carriage, twelve layers of escorts, the Taichang front drum and trumpet team, the yellow banner in the palace, the astronomical wind-blown water clock, the halberd front team, the six military ceremonial guards, the imperial horses, the sun and moon flags, the gate guards, the three guards, the Golden Guard's fine guards, the imperial seal, the thousand oxen, the guides, the attendants, and the jade carriage.
The emperor and empress rode in the Jade Lu, a magnificent carriage decorated with beautiful jade and pulled by elephants.

However, considering the effect of the ceremonial procession, Li Cunxiao simply had his old friend, the Nine-Headed Green Lion, pull the carriage.

The appearance of this giant beast was even more awe-inspiring than that of a typical six-tusked white elephant. Many devout Buddhists knelt down on both sides of the road, chanting Buddhist mantras devoutly.

整个大驾卤薄，有官兵5481人、车辇61乘、马2873匹、牛36头、象6只、乐器1701件、兵杖1548件，可谓极为盛大。

Not to mention ordinary people, even the officers and soldiers involved were participating in such a grand event for the first time. Even people like Ye Jingneng and Li Xian were so excited that their hands trembled.

Such a grand scene is unprecedented since the An Lushan Rebellion!
Qianfeng is not far from Mount Tai. An hour later, the ceremonial procession stopped at the foot of the mountain.

Officials and civilians attending the ceremony walked, while Li Cunxiao and Ye Shuyi slowly ascended into the air.

As his gaze swept over the group of elders and local dignitaries invited to the ceremony, Zhang Lishi's family stood prominently at the front. Their eyes met, and Li Cunxiao smiled and nodded. The tense members of the escort agency immediately became excited and overjoyed.

Chrysanthemums spread out a golden carpet, reflecting the sunlight like a sea of ​​light.

After the emperor and empress took their places, Li Xian, who was in charge of presiding over the ceremony, began a series of procedures in an orderly manner:

Welcoming the gods involves burning firewood, offering jade and silk, presenting sacrificial offerings, and making three offerings.
Overall, the rituals and music of the new dynasty largely continued the old system of the Qin dynasty, with little change.

The only difference is that the altar for worshipping Heaven is not built according to the usual regulations, but is completely modeled after the altar of the image of Haotian.

The four-tiered circular mound has twelve steps on each of its circular platforms, evenly distributed around the perimeter of the platform in the shape of the twelve earthly branches.

The first layer consists of 28 constellations and 135 lower-level constellations; the second layer consists of five stars: North Star, Big Dipper, Tianyi, Taiyi, and Ziwei, and 55 lower-level constellations.

The third layer features the thrones of the five Heavenly Emperors (yellow, blue, red, white, and black) and the seven gods of the sun and moon. The fourth layer has a unique throne for the Supreme God of Heaven.

Drinking the blessed wine, receiving the sacrificial meat, removing the beans, sending off the gods, and burning the offerings. As the ritual gradually came to an end, Li Cunxiao could clearly feel that the real altar on the top of Mount Tai and the illusory altar in his primordial spirit form were gradually becoming connected.

As he ascended the altar from the south steps of the Wutai Terrace, which was wider than the other eleven terraces, and unfolded the edict of accession and pronounced his blessing, this excitement gradually rose to its peak:

“I follow the five cycles of fortune, and God bestows his mandate upon me; the three spirits change the divination, and the king receives his mandate.”

"Having risen from humble beginnings, we have endured countless hardships. Then, enemy states invaded our borders, causing immense suffering to the people. I led my imperial guards to quell the border troubles."

"Therefore, he pacified the areas north and south of the two rivers, executed the false emperor to save the people, beheaded the slave chieftain to restore Yan and Yun, and allowed the people to rest and recuperate in the fields."

"Now the land is vast, and all the officials say: the people have no ruler, and they must support the title of Emperor."

"The people cannot be without a master, and the affairs of state cannot be neglected for a moment. We must strive to please the people and ascend to the throne."

"The country was named Great Song, and the fifth year of Qin Tongguang was changed to the first year of Taiping Xingguo. The capital was Luoyang, and the eastern capital was renamed Tianzhong."

"On the sunny side of Mount Tai, an altar was set up and rituals were prepared to proclaim the truth to Heaven and Earth."

"Enjoy it!"

The moment the last two words landed, the national fortune that had been gradually accumulating during the sacrificial ceremony suddenly burst forth, transforming into a golden dragon of destiny that stretched across the sky.

With the nation's fortunes at his fingertips, Li Cunxiao's perspective was once again elevated to an unprecedented level.

This time, the entire territory of the Great Qin, no, the sixteen circuits of the Great Song, was laid out before him.

Among them, Henan Circuit, Hebei Circuit, Hedong Circuit, Shannan Circuit, Guannei Circuit, and Jingji Circuit were the most glorious. These seven circuits were also the territories under actual control that Li Yisheng had taken over from the Qin Dynasty thanks to his previous achievements.

Meanwhile, the regions of Jiannan Circuit, Longyou Circuit, Huainan Circuit, Jiangnan East Circuit, Jiangnan West Circuit, and Longyou Circuit were in a state of gloom. The first five were all controlled by non-royal Wangs such as Wang Jian and Yang Huayuan.

The last one was far from the Central Plains. Li Cunxiao's letter to Louguandao probably hadn't even arrived yet. By the time Yan Daotong found out, returning to the rule of the Song Dynasty was just a matter of convenience.

As for the three routes of Qianzhong Road, Lingnan East Road, and Lingnan West Road, they were even more completely dark. This was because these were traditionally considered uncivilized areas, with many mountains and forests but little arable land, and the number of people from the Central Plains was far less than that of the natives.

Even during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Qin, the rule was merely a loose appeasement; since the rise of regional warlords, they had long since lost contact with the Central Plains.

Li Cunxiao was not in a hurry. He was still young. If a Grandmaster lived for 300 years, then at 27 he was still just a child.

Given enough time, with the power of the Jade Emperor, it is entirely foreseeable that he will change the world, unify the six directions, and create a prosperous era.

At this moment, not only Li Cunxiao, but also the other feudal lords from various places had a vague premonition. In Magu Mountain and Maoshan Mountain, Taoist priests even flew up and looked towards the Central Plains.

The officials, soldiers, and civilians watching were unaware of these things; they only saw the clear sky and bright stars, and were all delighted.

Li Xian led all the officials to face north and pay their respects, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" three times, and then presented a congratulatory memorial to the court.

After receiving the congratulations from the court officials, Li Cunxiao ordered Li Xian, the Minister of Rites, to present the imperial edict and seal, and establish Consort Ye as Empress.

Thus, the entire sacrificial ceremony and investiture ceremony came to a complete end.

From this day forward, Li Cunxiao will lead the entire court of civil and military officials to relocate the capital to Luoyang, which has been renamed "Tianzhong".

The center of the world is the center of the land. With the two rivers now pacified, it will be more convenient to coordinate all parties, whether it is to conquer Jiannan or Wuyue, from this position.

Along with the relocation of the capital, the first imperial edict of the first year of the Taiping Xingguo era was also issued throughout the prefectures and counties:
For his merit in accompanying the emperor's younger brother Li Guangyi, he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Yan, appointed as the Commander of the Palace Guard and concurrently the Minister of War, and in charge of the people's livelihood in Hebei.
The title of "Junqing Protector of the Nation Zen Master" was bestowed upon Monk Zhigang, and the title of "Protector of the Nation Pure Truth Dharma Master" was bestowed upon Monk Zhiheng. The imperial edict ordered Yuhua Temple to assist the Prince of Yan in controlling the epidemic and suppressing the remnants of Qida.

He bestowed upon Yan Daotong the title of Yuanmiao Daotong Zhenren and ordered the Louguan Daoist to urge the Prince of Qi to expel the barbarians from Hexi and quell the rebellion.

He bestowed upon this monk the title of Universal Illumination and Enlightenment Master, and appointed him to oversee the Buddhist Registry.

He was granted the title of Ningguo Protector Saint True Man by the Taiyi True Man, and put in charge of the Dao Records Institute;

Li Xian, the Imperial Clan Minister, was appointed Minister of Personnel and concurrently Minister of Rites.

Ye Jingneng, the Duke of Yue, was appointed as the Grand Secretary and concurrently the Minister of Revenue.
He was appointed as a retainer of the Duke of Zhao, Changsun Fu.
A series of dazzling appointments, in essence, are nothing more than rewards for meritorious service, either to give back to allies or to win them over with rewards.

At the very end of the personnel appointments, there was an imperial edict that sent shivers down the spines of the local lords—

All regional military governors and princes throughout the land shall, from the date of the change of reign title, immediately enter the capital to pay homage to the emperor!

(End of this chapter)